Namaste!

I have arrived in India and what a journey it has been! I left midday on Thursday from San Diego. I flew United to San Francisco and then on Air Emirates from SF to Dubai and then again from Dubai to Ahmedabad. I was excited to fly Air Emirates, it would be my first trip on a “luxury” airline and I would have a total of 19 hours on one, so the details wouldn’t be lost on me! When I got off the United flight in San Francisco, I had to change terminals. It was a busy day for domestic flights; the buzz at the many gates I had to walk by was significant. After walking for what felt like a half a mile (I’m sure it was less, but my carry-on luggage was heavy and my over-stuffed backpack was awkward) I went up an escalator, through two long hall ways and walked into what felt like another world. The domestic terminal was filled with small noisy eateries and trinket shops filled with shot glasses and key changes. The international terminal was completely the opposite. Quiet and the stretch of shops hosted names like Chanel, Burberry, and Gucci. International travel was clearly the way to go. I had a bite of lunch and made it to my gate in time for boarding. The airplane was all I thought it would be and more! Each economy seat came equipped with a screen, a power outlet, internet jack, USB port, and a pop out remote control. We could choose from a long list of movies and or music for out personal in-flight entertainment and before I knew it, I was eating my second meal and watching my third movie! I slept for small increments here and there, but there were several small children on board who did not find all the plane extras as entertaining as I did. Between periodic screams and the inability to really stretch out, I passed the 16 odd hours to Dubai being a couch potato. Arriving in Dubai went smoothly. I read about the shopping at the airport before leaving and found it in line with the high price retail that I had seen in San Francisco. Apparently international travels have some money to spend in airports! I had sometime to kill so I decided to get a coffee because there was a Starbucks very near to my gate. I went up to counter and ordered my drink and the lady said, “That will be $18.00.” I had already had my debit card out on the counter when I ordered and routinely handed it to her without really realizing the amount she said. When I looked at the cash register screen and confirmed that my grande iced latte was in fact going to cost me $18.00, I nearly screamed! She swiped my card and handed it back before I could voice my surprise. Wow, $18.00, good thing I wasn’t hungry! The flight from Dubai to Ahmedabad was on time and was quite nice. The only complaint I had this time was that a small boy sat directly behind me and kicked my seat for about three hours straight. By that time I had given up on sleeping anyway, I was too excited. I landed and walked off the plane, across the runway, through customs, to the baggage claim, and received my checked bag, all without any problem (which I was grateful for because already it was 103 degrees and I was feeling incredibly sluggish after doing virtually nothing but eating, sitting, and watching movies for 21 hours). When I walked out the front doors of the terminal, there was a cleared patio for about 50 feet and then there was a waist high metal gate. Between the airport doors and the gate there were several men dressed in camouflaged uniforms and carrying large rifles. On the other side of the gate, there were swarms of people. At 3:15 in the morning, there were more people at the airport than I ever could have imagined. I nervously scanned the crowd and saw two men carrying a sign that said “Welcome, Kathryn Whitlow.” I let out the biggest sigh. I had made it! I was really in India and I had gotten there all by myself. This may not seem like a huge feat to some, but this was the biggest challenge of my life so far. The two men rushed over and greeted me warmly. They introduced themselves at Vitthal and Dilip. They grabbed my suitcases and within minutes we were in the large forerunner, honking our way through the crowds to the road. Vitthal and Dilip could not have been more friendly. They instantly began asking me questions and apologizing for not knowing “enough good English.” We chatted as we drove through the city. The car doesn’t have AC, but the breeze from the widows was literally a breath of fresh air even though there was an inescapable tinge of staleness. I playfully complained to them that I hadn’t slept much on the plane because it was so uncomfortable. They both told me they had never been on planes, but they heard sympathized with my long journey. I began starring out the window as we drove through the congested city of Ahmedabad. I had never seen anything like it. Until that point, I had thought that I was somewhat prepared to come here. I have seen shantytowns when I was traveling in Mexico City, read books and watched movies about poverty, and talked to what seems like hundreds of people in the last few months who have been to India. Nothing could have prepared me for that car ride. We drove for about an hour and almost every mile of road was lined with people sleeping in the dirt. They were sleeping on steps of storefronts, on the tops of cars, sitting up in chairs, and in virtually every other position you could think of. I wanted to eat my words about being too uncomfortable to sleep on the plane. Clearly, I had never been to India. We had been driving for about 30 minutes when Vitthal pulled over to a hut in the side of the road. Apparently it was a coffee and tea stand and both my escorts had gotten up very early to come and get me and needed a pick me up. There were about 15 men, a dozen stray dogs, a large cow and a camel cart all congregated at this stand. They offered me tea, but I was already dripping sweat and could not imagine drinking something warm. They exchanged a few friendly words with the strangers, yelled at the dogs, and then we were back on our way. We drove most of the way on dirt roads and chatted about everything from food to bug spray. At a moment of silence Dilip turned around from the front seat and said to me, “Katie, you are very nice. We really like your spirit.” I was, and still, am speechless regarding this comment. The DSK campus is in a small village of about 2500 people called Nanideviti; we arrived there about 4:00am. It is gated and we had to honk several times for the guard to let us in; apparently had had fallen asleep waiting for us. Vitthal and Dilip escorted me to my room, which is a modest 10x14 square with an attached small “bathroom.” I say “bathroom” because although there is a sink and a drain, no water flows I through it and it is without a toliet. My water must be collected in the courtyard and brought back in buckets. The toilets, which are not Western toilets by any stretch of the imagination, are about 200 feet from my room. This will take some strategic planning on my part. There are screens and my three windows, but somehow some friends found there way in. I had the task of getting two lizards and several other critters that shall remain nameless out of my room before I could officially claim it as mine. The most important feature of my room is a large ceiling fan that runs on high and while sitting directly under it I have found that the heat is relieved enough to keep sweat from violently rolling off my skin. I opened my suitcase, found my power adapter to charge my computer, fought some ants in the bathroom who decided that I had brought the water in for them, made my bed (with my sleeping sack and thermarest!) and dozed off. And that brings me to now. I should tell you that I am in culture shock, except that the term doesn’t seem to cut it. I am staying in accommodations that no one in the US would call “upper-class” as it is labeled here. And yet I am incredibly thankful for what I have considering I have already seen hundreds of people who literally have nothing. This, India, the person I must adapt to be to survive here, will take some getting used to. I was told that I have the liberty of resting today, so hopefully I can explore more of the campus and meet more friendly faces. I do not know what I expected to find here, but in the 6 hours I have been here I have been shocked more times than I can count. The princess in me will have to go on a long vacation for the next three months. I have talked with friends in the past about whether your heart or your head is stronger and how they usually take turns getting you through stages of life; I am going to need both my heart and my head to be in tip-top shape while I’m here. Wish me luck! Love you all!